The present invention is directed to non-standard cheese products and their methods of manufacture. More particularly, this invention is directed to the manufacture of non-standard cheese products by blending a cheese analog or a cream cheese substitute, a standard cheese having the desired flavor profile, and an acidified dairy slurry. The non-standard cheese products of the present invention have functional and organoleptic properties similar to standard cheese products in spite of reduced levels of cholesterol and saturated fats. The non-standard cheese products of the present invention are soft and easily blended with other food ingredients, making them ideally suited for use as ingredients in industrial food applications (e.g., baked products, dessert fillings, icings, and the like). Especially preferred non-standard cheese products of this invention include soft cheeses such as, for example, cream cheese and Neufchatel cheese.
Cheese products, especially soft cheeses such as cream cheese and Neufchatel cheese, are often used in the manufacture of industrial food products (e.g., baked products, dessert fillings, icings, and the like). Ideally, such cheese products provide the taste and texture of natural cheese without adversely effecting the organoleptic and other properties of the processed food products into which they are incorporated. Such cheeses are preferably low cost and have reduced levels of cholesterol and saturated fat.
Mixtures of cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes and natural cheeses have been used in such applications. Typically such mixtures contain about 40 to about 80 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes and about 20 to about 60 percent natural cheese, wherein the natural cheese is selected to provide the desired flavor profile. Unfortunately such cheese products are often difficult to incorporate into conventional food processing or manufacturing lines (i.e., too firm) and/or to blend with other ingredients due to their relatively high viscosities (i.e., too firm). Attempts to produce a soft, functional, and blendable mixture have generally resulted in inferior products which gave less than desirable properties in the food products into which they were intended to be incorporated.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a cheese product comprising a mixture of a cheese analog or cream cheese substitute and a natural cheese which is soft and easily blended with other food ingredients for use in the manufacture of industrial food products. It also would be desirable to provide such a soft and blendable cheese product which can be used to prepare industrial food products having excellent organoleptic and other properties. The present invention provides such cheese products and methods for the manufacture of such cheese products.
The present invention is directed to non-standard cheese products and their methods of manufacture. More particularly, this invention is directed to the manufacture of non-standard cheese products by blending a cheese analog or cream cheese substitute, standard cheese having the desired flavor profile, and an acidified dairy slurry. The non-standard cheese products of the present invention have functional and organoleptic properties similar to standard cheese products in spite of reduced levels of cholesterol and saturated fats. The non-standard cheese products of the present invention are soft and easily blended with other food ingredients, making them ideally suited for use as ingredients in industrial food applications (e.g., baked products, dessert fillings, icings, and the like). Especially preferred non-standard cheese products of this invention include soft cheeses such as, for example, cream cheese and Neufchatel cheese.
The non-standard cheese products of the present invention are prepared by blending about 30 to about 80 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes, about 20 to 50 about percent natural cheese, and about 5 to about 50 acidified dairy slurry. More preferably, the non-standard cheese products of the present invention are prepared by blending about 45 to about 65 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes, about 25 to 35 about percent natural cheese, and about 10 to about 25 percent acidified dairy slurry.
The present invention is related to a non-standard cheese product comprising about 30 to about 80 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes, about 20 to 50 about percent natural cheese, and about 5 to about 50 acidified dairy slurry, wherein the non-standard cheese product is soft and easily blendable with conventional food ingredients in a food processing and manufacturing line. One especially preferred non-standard cheese product of the present invention includes non-standard soft cream cheese comprising about 55 to about 65 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes, about 20 to 30 about percent natural cheese, and about 10 to about 20 percent acidified dairy slurry, wherein the non-standard cream cheese product is soft and easily blendable with conventional food ingredients in a food processing and manufacturing line and wherein the acidified dairy slurry is prepared by cooking a mixture comprising at least one dairy protein, salt, gum, at least one edible acid, and water. Another especially preferred non-standard cheese product of the present invention includes non-standard Neufchatel cheese comprising about 45 to about 55 percent cheese analogs or cream cheese substitutes, about 25 to 35 about percent Neufchatel cheese, and about 15 to about 25 acidified dairy slurry, wherein the non-standard Neufchatel cheese product is soft and easily blendable with conventional food ingredients in a food processing and manufacturing line and wherein the acidified dairy slurry is prepared by cooking a mixture comprising a dairy protein, salt, gum, at least one edible acid, and water.
The present invention also relates to a method for preparing a non-standard cheese product, said method comprising (1) cooking a mixture comprising a dairy protein, salt, gum, at least one edible acid, and water to a temperature of about 165 to about 190xc2x0 F. to form an acidified dairy slurry, (2) forming a mixture of about 30 to about 80 percent cheese analog or cream cheese substitute, about 20 to about 50 percent cream cheese, and about 5 to about 50 percent acidified dairy slurry, and (3) blending the mixture for a time sufficient to form the non-standard cheese product, wherein the non-standard cheese product is soft and easily blendable with conventional food ingredients in a food processing and manufacturing line.